i did not plan it this way

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Thirty-four years ago I came screaming into this world two weeks late. (I am still apologizing to my mother for that. And the long labor. Seriously. SORRY, MOM!)

And I haven’t been on time for anything since then either.

ahem.

It was 1978.

Michigan was having some wild weather that year. The infamous Blizzard of ’78 had happened just a month or so before, and my mom loves to tell how it was snowing when she went in to the hospital to have me and was like 80 when she left to take me home.

I was not an easy child.

I was basically Eddie, only a girl.

I was not an easy teen either, which makes me extremely nervous for Eddie’s teen years.

Anyway, twenty years ago I was an awkward, gumpy eighth grader with frizzy hair and a sad excuse for a “bang” (not bangs, mind you, due to a colic on my mini-widow’s peak) just turning 14.

I don’t really remember much from my 14th birthday. I know it was on a Friday. Other than that, this is what was happening back in March of good old 1992…

The first George Bush had just raised taxes…after all that “no new taxes” BS that he spouted during his campaign.

Bosnia was a brand new nation.

Garth Brooks and Color Me Bad were big deals in the music world.

Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson separated from Prince Andrew.

Mike Tyson was sentenced for rape.

Silence of the Lambs was the biggest movie of the year.

If you had asked me then where I thought I would be in twenty years, I would not have listed anything that is in my life right now.

Mostly because I thought of 34 as horribly old and decrepit.

I mean, my mom was in her 30’s.

Ten years ago I was an insecure, naive 24 year old. This time my birthday was on a Wednesday, and I was dating a guy who I probably didn’t even see on my birthday. In my insecure, naive way, I am sure I justified this as being totally ok.

I didn’t know by this same time the next year we would have broken up after almost five years together. I was naive, remember?

In March of 2002, this is what else was happening besides my searching for a teaching job and ignoring all the signs that I was with the wrong guy…

Afghanistan was invaded…by the US and others.

Spain joined the rest of Europe by adopting the euro

Switzerland joined the United Nation

And that is really about it. Slow month, I guess.

At 24 I thought I had my whole life planned out. I would have still told you 34 was old, but I would have told you I would be married to the guy I was dating (wrong), teaching in the school where I was subbing (wrong), and totally done having kids (maybe wrong?).

And now here it is. 2012. My 34th birthday.

My day has been spent cleaning up spit up, poop, and crumbs.

I am on leave from a great teaching job so that I can care for my newborn.

I am married to a guy I never ever considered to be date material let alone husband material in all the growing up years we’ve known each other.

I have been pregnant four times.

I have two sons.

I have been to three family funerals since getting married. All for my husband’s side of the family.

I have three nephews and one newbie due in November.

I have watched all my siblings and siblings-in-law get married…and been a part of each ceremony.

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Just a small town girl...wait no. That is a Journey song. Katie Sluiter is a small town girl, but she is far from living in a lonely world. She is a high school English teacher, college adjunct instructor, freelance writer, mother, and wife. Life has thrown her a fair share of challenges, but her belief is that writing through them makes her stronger.

Happy Birthday!! Although I was born in 1977, a little over 6 months before you, I can totally relate to all of the ups & downs life has handed you. Love this post… as John Lennon stated: life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.

I was born in ’79 & also thought, at one time, that 30s were old’ish. LoL

My senior year of high school, in one of my classes, the teacher had us write a letter about where we thought/hoped we’d be by the time we were 24. We put them in envelopes, addressed them, and planned to see them again in 5 yrs or so.

We never got them. Such a sad disappointment to all of us! Maybe it had something to do w/the teacher’s nervous breakdown (thanks in part to some of my fellow classmates), but that’s a whole other story.

Point is, 2 things were in that letter that ended up coming true. I was married and had a baby. What I never, ever knew or expected was PPD/PPA. Woulda been nice for a heads up on that…

Happy Birthday! What a beautiful picture of your family!!! I turn 24 in a couple weeks and this post has be thinking about where I thought my life was headed 5 and 10 years ago. It’s funny to think about how much life changes from the “path” we think we are on…

Love this post…and you and your family too! Also, until that picture, I’d been trying to decide which of you Eddie looks like…and it’s you! You both have such joyous looks when you smile! Have a lovely, lovely day!

I also thought I would be done having kids before I was 30… and here I am 8mos pregnant with #2, due just 3mos before my 32nd birthday with probable plans to have a go at one more after this… but probably not for 3ish more years 🙂 I definitely saw the 30’s as OLD, and now I look at my grandparents in their 70’s and think “sheesh! they’re not even old yet!” 😀